One thing about the NHL lockout that does not seem to make sense — not that any of it makes much sense — is why the owners would be willing to shut down a business that has been taking in record amounts of revenue.

When world-class hockey was last played in North America, there was much optimism about the game's potential for further growth, fueled by the NHL's 10-year television rights contract with NBC.

Part of the salve for the owners during this lockout is that, even if there is no NHL season, NBC still will pay the league $200 million — and then get a free season on the back end of the deal, in 2021-22.

Shouldn't that free season be a concern if the owners are thinking about the big picture? Conventional wisdom would say absolutely, but don't be so sure.

The 2021-22 season is a long time away. It's as far into the future as the 2002-03 season is in the past. And even in the NHL, known for stable franchises like the New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers, who have had one owner in their respective histories, turnover in the ownership ranks is common.

Since 2003, there have been 16 teams that have changed owners — more than half the league — and a figure that counts the Phoenix Coyotes once.

The Coyotes are in the process of being sold again. The Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings also could change hands in the near future if the Anschutz Entertainment Group is sold.

Granted, not all ownership changes are actually sales of teams — Rocky Wirtz took control of the Chicago Blackhawks after the death of his father Bill — but if a significant number of owners are no longer owners by 2021-22, it means that they will have received $6.7 million from NBC this year just for fun.

For the owners who are in it for the long haul, it's still free money, but the freedom would not come for longer. If the NHL maintains a salary cap tied to hockey-related revenue, and there is no revenue from a national television contract in the United States in 2021-22, it will create a temporary drag on player salaries. The $6.7 million that gets pocketed now would be a decade-old bonus for a job horribly done.

Meanwhile, there's NBC, which has little incentive to push its clients in NHL ownership to make a deal. While sinking $200 million this year into not having hockey would stink, and would not do the network's all-sports cable channel any good, the outlook for 2021-22 would be bright at 30 Rock. If the league returns and resumes its previous pattern of growth after recovering from the damage of the lockout, a free season in the next decade turns into a goldmine.

If the NHL crumbles and falls behind soccer in this country, the free season is an easy endpoint for NBC's involvement — and guess who has the rights to televise MLS?

In fact, the only way that the lockout doesn't work out for NBC in the long term is if there is a shortened 2012-13 season that does not include the Winter Classic as a tent post. The outdoor game, even under threat of removal, remains the best hope for NHL fans who want to see their favorite teams this season.